Stegosaurus Fossil Sets New Auction Record

What’s 150 million years old and just set a new record for the most expensive fossil ever sold at auction? The answer goes by the name of Apex and recently changed hands for $44.6 million, including fees. Writing at The Art Newspaper, Carlie Porterfield has more details on the blockbuster sale of the bones of a stegosaurus — the highlight of Sotheby’s recent Natural History auction. This bid is significantly higher than the previous record-holder for fossils sold at auction, set by a tyrannosaurus skeleton dubbed “Stan.”

The buyer, Porterfield reports, was billionaire Ken Griffin, in the news earlier this year for an unsuccessful bid for part of the Miami Dolphins. The price Apex fetched was significantly higher than Sotheby’s estimated; the listing for the fossil on their website estimated that it would sell for between $4 million and $6 million. According to Sotheby’s, bidding for the fossil lasted 15 minutes.

After the sale, Griffin stated that he plans to look into loaning the skeleton to a museum somewhere in the United States. “Apex was born in America and is going to stay in America!” he said in a statement. The fossilized skeleton was found by Jason Cooper on land in Moffat County, Colorado, and is one of the most complete skeletons of its kind ever discovered.

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“This sale has been years in the making, and at every turn, we have worked closely with Jason Cooper, from the moment of its discovery in Dinosaur, Colorado, to its sale in New York,” said Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s Global Head of Science & Popular Culture, in a statement. “I am thrilled that such an important specimen has now taken its place in history, some 150 million years since it roamed the planet.”

If the planned loan of Apex to a museum works out, it’s entirely possible this stegosaurus could be part of the sights you take in on your next trip into natural history. It’s an impressive relic of the planet’s history regardless of where it ends up.